Four Piece
by FinalEmblem
Summary: Who ever said being in a band was easy? Rated for later chapters.


**This fanfiction is about the story of a band. But seeing as how I'm not creatively capable of writing original lyrics for them, I'm using real songs as their own original work. Now the first chapter is an exception (it has no songs), but when I start using songs by real artists, I will credit them as needed. Just thought I'd make that clear, these are NOT intended to be covers, they are meant to be the original work of the characters. Now that that's all clear, enjoy!**

"He's pretty good..." I said, turning to Patton. We watched a blond teen of our age playing a guitar solo for a jazz band. He was very skilled, from the look of it, and his solo lasted five whole minutes, and this jazz band was pretty exclusive... So we deducted that he must be considered the best of the best.

Patton stroked his chin, "Yeah, not bad at all... What's this kid's name again?" He started getting up, he knew already we were gonna offer this guitarist a spot in our band.

"Beatles..." I said, trying to recall if that was the correct name, "Wallabee Beatles."

"Wallabee Beatles, eh?" He laughed, "Well, let's get down there and wait for this show to end, I think Mr. Beatles is our new lead guitarist!"

As good as it sounded, there was still something missing... "But... What if he says no?"

This idea was absurd, in Patton's mind, "What?" He demanded, "Why wouldn't he accept? I would much rather take part in a four-piece band, not some thirty man jazz band... He's not even a regular... We're offering him a stable position!"

And this argument made plenty of sense... But you always have account for variables in your plans... "I know it sounds attractive, but you don't know, maybe he has a girlfriend he doesn't want to leave, maybe they offered him a spot in the jazz band... Maybe he just doesn't wanna join us?..."

If there was one thing I admired about Patton, is that he didn't give up. He wanted Wallabee Beatles, and damn it, he was ready to do what it took to get his guitar in our band. Now, Patton played a mean rhythm guitar, but we needed a big lead guitar to go along with it, so I must admit, getting this kid would be beneficial to our band.

I played the bass, and I have to say, I was pretty well learned in it. I don't want to toot my own horn, but I was definitely the best available when Patton was looking to start up a band. I wanted to be noticed, and boom:

A partnership was born.

Together, we found Ace, a drummer. He's good, very good. He was a looker, lot's of girls wanted to look at him, so he pulled in part of our fan base AND kept them watching. Unfortunately, this story doesn't have any place for poor ol' Ace... And you'll find out soon exactly why.

* * *

After the jazz concert, Patton and I waited for a chance to speak to Wallabee, who came walking out with his case in hand. He looked like an easy going guy, so I simply nodded to my companion and we approached the guitarist.

"Wallabee Beatles?" I asked, reaching out to try and stop him in case he didn't hear me. He, however, did in fact catch glimpse of me and he spun around swiftly and gave an easy going grin.

He tried to make eye contact, but my glasses made that impossible, but he stuck around. "Uh... Yeah, that'd be me, but call me Wally... Sounds less obnoxious." He put his guitar case down and shook my hand warily.

"Alright! Wally it is!" I started, "So anyway, Wally, my name is Nigel. My friend Patton and I have been looking high and low for a lead guitarist, and we happened to end up watching your concert... And we have to say: we really like your work, that solo was brilliant!"

He laughed and scratched his head nervously, "Ha! Thanks... I don't get too many compliments from strangers, it's nice to know some people like what I do." Wally Beatles was obviously used to being the center of attention with his guitar, this fake charade of humbleness was fooling no one. On the other hand, he could have bragged all day and gotten away with it... The kid was amazing.

"Oh I'm sure you've been told plenty..." I joked around with him, laughing. "But while we watched, we couldn't help but notice... And I'm not trying to say your guitar skills are 'wasted' here... But don't you think you should be doing something that showcases your incredible skill a little more often?"

The blond was clearly not understanding my wording, but hey, I was trying not to be too direct... "Uh... Sure?" He asked dimwittedly... I have to admit, I was a little disappointed to find how dense he was, however, it's well worth it for a guitar player like this.

Patton obviously was following along with our conversation as he busted in and laughed hardily, "What we mean, my friend, is that we want you to commit. Why don't you give our band a shot?"

Now on the same level as us, Wally gave this question some thought, he pondered and grunted to himself, then finally looked at us and said, "Why don't we take a trip somewhere and discuss and get a feel for each other's play styles? I'll consider your offer and give you an answer after we settle some things..."

And upon finishing his sentence, he pulled out a card with his information on it... He has a card? Seriously?... This was no time to be picking out his flaws, though. So I eagerly grabbed it from his hand, "Sounds excellent! I look forward to meeting with you."

"Same here..." Patton mumbled, obviously not happy that we weren't leaving this place with a fourth member.

* * *

Some days later, we invited Wally to Patton's apartment, which was right next to mine, placed side by side with a door that led to the living rooms of each other's. Patton's apartment is where the magic was made, so Wally met us there.

We unpacked and began to play, and let me say, Wally was much better than Patton or I could've anticipated. We asked for any chord, any progressions, you name it. Wally had the answer to everything. He seemed to enjoy himself too, he laughed, he talked to us about how he learned to play. It was nice getting to know a guy like that, he was very friendly once you cracked his shell a little. Like I figured before, he was a little slow, and he seemed to be very on edge: messing up didn't go over well with him. But all in all, he would make a fine guitarist, and we knew we had to have him.

It was after an hour or two of playing that Patton finally asked the question all three of us knew was coming: "So... Do you want in or not?"

Wally merely laughed and looked around, "Well... I have to say, you guys are awesome, I can see myself having much more fun playing with your band than just joining a group band for a show or two..."

I don't know about Patton, but my heart raced with excitement. We finally filled our remaining position! It was all coming together! "That's great!" I laughed, unable to contain myself.

His look wasn't as excited, however, "But... I have one request."

"Sure!" Patton exclaimed, "Anything at all!" I knew he very much wanted to keep this fish on the hook. He wasn't about to let this catch go. However, not even he anticipated this response:

"You need to take my friend, Hoagie Gilligan, too."

Patton and I looked at one another. Surely this request wouldn't be too hard, I mean, it wouldn't hurt. "Of course!" I said, eager to gain a new guitar player, and now even a fifth member. "What does he play? Keyboard or something?"

"Drums." Wally said bluntly. Now, he knew from the jam session we had just completed that we already had Ace as our drummer, he couldn't make it to play with us but we filled Wally in on the teen. But two drummers was unheard of. What he was asking was a bit extreme. He could certainly sense the awkwardness radiating from Patton and I, so without even waiting for a response, he continued: "Listen... I know you have that other guy lined up... But trust me, Gilligan is a great drummer. Plus... Just think, you throw out one drummer, get a replacement AND a lead guitarist..." He looked Patton dead in the eye, "How about it?"

"I dunno..." Patton sighed, this decision was clearly a difficult one for him. He wanted that lead guitarist, yet it was wrong to just trash Ace like some used up toy. "It's kind of a big call to make right on the spot... Do you mind if we get back to you on it?"

Wally put his guitar away, "Sure thing. Just let me know what you decide... I'll be 'round. Thanks again Patton..." They shook hands, then he turned to me and continued, "Nigel..." And we, too, had a firm handshake. And with that, he was out the door...

* * *

"I don't know what to make of it..." Patton growled at our bench at Burger King. "Part of me knows that taking Wally and his friend will be worth it..."

I knew what was coming next, so I took the liberty of finishing his statement, "But at the same time, how can we just kick out Ace?" I slurped my soda and looked around, as if he were listening to this conversation as it happened.

My partner looked me in the eye and growled, "We can't just weight the options, we need to make a decision... And soon. There's no way we can stall Wally that long, he'll get bored and go elsewhere, I know plenty of people would love to have him play for them."

He had a point, Wally wouldn't be around forever, and who knows? This Hoagie kid could be equally as useful as Ace... The time to make a decision was upon us... "I agree... So what do you think is the best choice?"

He took a deep breath and blew out with extreme force, "Ugh... I don't know about you, but I want this Beatles kid playing for us. Forget weighing Ace vs this Gilligan character, we need to compare Ace and Beatles... And in my mind... Beatles is the obvious choice."

As much as I didn't want to admit it, I knew he was right. I took a bite of my hamburger and replied, "Agreed..."

"It's settled. I don't care what Ace has to say about anything, I'm making it clear: He isn't in the band anymore. We need Wally, and if it means replacing Ace with this other guy, I'm willing to do what it takes." Patton picked up his cell phone and dialed the number of who I guessed to be Wally. "Hello?..." He said into the device, "Yeah, it's me, Patton. I just wanted to give you an answer on that issue we were hammering out yesterday..."

* * *

_Two nights later..._

"WHAT?" Ace shrieked, he grabbed his head, as if it couldn't handle the thought of being cut from the band. "How could you do this to me?"

I felt awful, despite it being Patton who broke the news... We decided to say that we had found a different drummer ourselves, and not let Ace find out that he was only cut due to part of a deal just to get a guitar player, so I stuck with this story.

I tried to pat him on the back, but he moved instantly. Still, I tried to comfort him, "We just thought this other drummer would better suit us better, it's not anything to do with your abilities.

However, this was no use, Ace turned red and hissed, "Fuck you guys! I can't believe you went looking for a drummer despite having one already!" He crossed his arms, "You've gotta be fucking kidding me!"

Luckily for me, Patton was a little more rough when it came to feeling bad, so he simply sighed, "Ace, it's unfortunate, but this is how the world works. You don't always get what you want or expect. Now... I know it sucks, but it IS our decision in the end, and we aren't going to change our minds on this one... The band was by no means ever truly set. You, Nigel, and I... We were a rough draft, and now we have a final roster, but it has no place for you on it... Sorry..."

His words came across as almost heartless, and I felt bad for Ace, but Patton merely maintained eye contact with the drummer, who huffed and growled back, "You know what? Fine! I know I can do better than you guys anyway!" He walked over to the door and slammed it open. He turned around, "Have a nice life, fuck faces!"

The door came loudly to a close. Patton and I looked at each other... We both knew that wasn't the last we've heard of Ace. But at the time, we were too excited, we finally had our finished product of a band, and no amount of sorrow for Ace would take that away from us.

* * *

A/N: And there you have it, one chapter down. I'm attempting to use different styles of writing for this, different than the way I write/wrote One Happy Island and A Weekend to Remember. So any commentary would be appreciated! Please, let me know if I'm doing something wrong, I feed off of the opinions of others. I really hope that this appeals to some of you, because I feel like it could we a fun story to write out.


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